


Inter-Service Support

by gelbes_gilatier



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Explosions, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Soldiers, Stargate Atlantis: Legacy series, Unarmed Combat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-27 05:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2680772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelbes_gilatier/pseuds/gelbes_gilatier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of missing scenes/tags to the <i>Legacy</i> series by Jo Graham, Amy Grisworld and Melissa Scott, staring Laura Cadman and Evan Lorne.</p><p>#1 Laura Cadman meets someone aboard the <i>George Hammond</i>. Guess who. </p><p>#2 Evan Lorne needs to vent off frustration, Laura Cadman was bored on the <i>Hammond</i>. Here's where they meet.</p><p>#3 Laura Cadman gets to blow up something big.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This little something kind of assaulted me when I read the first half of _Homecoming_ \- and yes, there are spoilers in here - so I hacked it into the laptop on the way from Hamburg to Binz/Rügen and here it is :)

** Best Laid Plans  **

_“Tell me why all the best laid plans_   
_fall apart in your hands_   
_and my good intentions_   
_never end the way I meant.”_

_James Blunt, “Best Laid Plans”_

Well, she thinks, another wave from Atlantis must have arrived. Another wave of Marines and Air Force personnel; some people she knows from her tour in the city, some she doesn’t. She can see Captain Garner shuffling to her new quarters and she gives the pilot a little wave to indicate she saw her. Garner answers with another wave… but she wears the same expression she has seen on a lot of other personnel… as if she doesn’t want to be here, on the _Hammond_ , Earth’s new flagship.

And if she’s honest… she understands them, _all_ of them. It’s been a while since her time in Atlantis and she does perceive it an honor to be new CO of the _Hammond_ ’s Marine contingent… but she can’t help feeling resentment at all the political games they’re playing with Atlantis. She heard it through the grapevine pretty early on that Atlantis was supposed to stay on Earth and for some reason she _hates_ that thought.

Atlantis doesn’t belong here, and she’d love to tell all those people who came here from the city – she’s pretty sure she saw Ronon at some point during the last couple of days – that she knows what they’re going through and that she sympathizes but she has a feeling that it wouldn’t be good in her current position – newly assigned and not having proven her worth to Samantha Carter, role model for several generations of female soldiers, yet – to go around spouting her doubts about the sanity of a few people with a lot more power than she has.

So… “Cadman?” What… oh. Having turned around at the vaguely familiar voice, she recognizes its owner on the spot. Another… new arrival on the _Hammond_. Or at least… she kind of hopes so.

“Major Lorne. Nice to see you, sir.” And it really is. She always liked him back in Atlantis because he was always a decent CO and because for a Zoomie, he could pretty much hold his own in a fight. He also gave her the privilege of being the one to blow up whatever needed to be blown up when she was on missions with him.

Now, though… she can see the same look on his face that she saw on Garner’s face… and it makes her feel a little sorry for him. Rodney and Sheppard might have been Atlantis’ champions… but she always had a feeling the city was just as much part of Evan Lorne as she was of them. True to his nature, though, he schools his features back to neutral just a moment after she saw this little glimpse of his current mind set. “Nice to see you, too… a Captain, huh?”

“Yessir.” She can’t help grinning at that. Yep, a Captain. It’s still pretty fresh and it still needs a little getting used to but yes… there’s another bar on her shoulders now.

There’s a little grin on his face now and she thinks she recognizes it as the look of a senior officer who’s just a little proud to see that one of their soldiers actually made it somewhere. “Congratulations. I take it you’re also the Captain of the _Hammond_ ’s Marine contingent?”

She nods again. “Yep. Just got appointed two weeks ago. It’s… a great opportunity.” And it’s also her biggest chance at screwing up yet. Until now, she aced every aspect of her training and service but her first real command… if she’s honest, it scares her to death… and now that there are _two_ officers on board the _Hammond_ that she respects and admires, she feels the weight on her shoulders doubling. But she’d be damned if she’d let anyone see that.

“I’m sure it is,” he agrees and then it seems like the façade is cracking again, just for a moment. It must have hit him pretty hard, it dawns on her, having had to realize that no, Atlantis _won’t_ go back to Pegasus.

Seeing steadfast and stoical Evan Lorne looking bitter and resigned makes her uneasy but she tries not to let it show, so she says conversationally, “So… you got reassigned, too?” Which, of course, was one of the most stupid things she could have said. Really… stating the obvious was always Rodney’s job.

To her relief, though, it seems like for the time being he decided to play along this game because he replies, “Yeah. It was… kind of overdue, anyway. I’m just glad I got transferred to Colonel Carter’s command.” It must be really bad if he more or less admits that he would have been _very_ unhappy with any other assignment.

So for a moment, she doesn’t really know what to say – except that being under Samantha Carter’s command _is_ the best thing that could happen to every soldier in the Stargate program but she’s pretty sure he knows _that_ – and then it kind of… slips out, “Hurts, doesn’t it?”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, doesn’t even look at her… just flexes his hands and presses his lips together in a tight line. Then, almost ground out between his teeth, “Like hell.”

Somehow she’d known he’d answer that but actually hearing him say it… it makes her feel sorry for him but most of all it makes her furious at all those politicians and those officers in the rear echelon who have no idea what Atlantis means for the Pegasus galaxy… and for those who served on her, at one time or the other. It’s _home_ for them, she thinks… she _knows_ because for two years it had been _her_ home as well and she had kind of hoped to probably be reassigned again some day… and that hope has been crushed now, as well.

She takes a deep breath. “I heard Colonel Sheppard and Mr. Woolsey are still staying put in the city.”

There’s the ghost of a humorless grin on his face but at least he’s looking at her again. “More like clinging to it with their teeth and bare hands.” Then he frowns. “To be honest, though… I was surprised about the effort Woolsey put into fighting for the city.”

“Well,” she says and smirks, “he’s probably been around Colonel Sheppard for too long.”

This time, he shows her a _real_ small grin, a little resigned but with some actual humor in it. “Haven’t we all?”

She certainly has. It’s showing in her command style time and again and she’s not quite sure, yet if that’s a _good_ thing. But what’s more important than that… having been around Sheppard for too long also means that you know what he’s capable of. And because she wants Lorne to stop looking so bitter and frustrated, she dares to venture, “So… we all know that with Sheppard… you never know.” She can’t help biting her lip and furrowing her brows because she’s not quite sure how he will judge this.

And yes, for a moment he looks like he might admonish her for that, and if it’s just because he’s fed up with hoping for something that will probably never happen. But then… he runs a hand through his hair and says, “Yeah, I think you’re right, Captain… with Sheppard you never know.”

For some reason, something in that statement seems to have improved his mood a little bit… enough for tight little smile and adding, “So… how’s life as the commanding officer of a bunch of Marines?”

Well… apparently, he decided he talked enough about Atlantis and that’s okay with her. After all, they will get other opportunities for that and she thinks his question was also meant to show her that he doesn’t intend to dwell on all the disappointment and frustration and anger forever so she takes up his thread with a grin. “Pretty much routine, you know. Want to see how I keep my Marines in shape, sir?”

He grins back, probably foreseeing the sparring session she thinks he needs pretty badly and to her satisfaction he replies, “Absolutely, Captain. Lead the way.” And so she does, somehow feeling pleased with herself about how she handled all of this… and definitely looking forward to seeing if Major Lorne can still hold his own in a good fight.


	2. What She Can Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan Lorne needs to vent off frustration, Laura Cadman was bored on the Hammond. Here's where they meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my second tag to the _Legacy_ series written by Jo Graham, Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold, playing sometime during _The Lost_ , after the Hammond finally makes it to Atlantis. It was inspired by the question "But where are Lorne and Cadman during that dinner?". After a little chat with Jo on her LJ regarding timeline, I decided to be a little vague, so this is not excatly at the time of the dinner but somewhere in the couple of days that the Hammond stayed in Atlantis. There are a couple spoilers for the series in the story, so if you haven't read Homecoming and The Lost and don't want to be spoiled, probably not read it. Everyone else... have fun ;)
> 
> PS.: Yes, mackenziesmomma, I believe in the power of foot notes. You should, too.

** What She Can Do ** _  
_

_“I wouldn’t if I were you  
I know what she can do  
She’s deadly, man  
And she could really rip your world apart  
Mind over matter  
Ooh, the beauty is there  
But a beast is in the heart.”_   


_Hall & Oates, “Maneater”_

This just isn’t his week. Or maybe month. Okay, probably not even his _year_. Okay, so Atlantis is back in Pegasus and he’s still serving here which is definitely a plus. But that’s about it, to be honest.

Because, see, there this thing with the sensors and the pigeon incident Zelenka has been giving him crap over continuously – what is it with that guy and pigeons? – and also the damn inconvenient fact that a posting at Elmendork* AFB, Alaska would look cozy compared to their current home planet, at least temperature wise and well, he also pretty much screwed up scouting that Wraith “neutral ground” planet…

But yes, the worst thing really _is_ that they still haven’t found Rodney and even though intellectually he knows better he thinks he had his part in that as well. Yes, more than “just” messing up the scouting mission. No, not in actually letting it happen – at least not _this_ time because wouldn’t that have been great, being responsible for the disappearance of yet _another_ one of Sheppard’s teammates – but in failing to keep morale up.

For some reason he had always felt responsible not only for keeping as much crap as possible off Sheppard’s back but also for keeping up the contingent’s spirit and even though they are trying to go on with business as usual he just _knows_ that none of his soldiers, old and new alike, are unaffected by the uneasiness, restlessness and confusion that seem to have slowly infiltrated the city. And he just seems unable to actually _do_ anything about it.

So now he’s stalking through the corridors, somehow in the mood to get rid of all the tension coiled up inside of him… and almost all by themselves his feet carry him to the work-out room the Marines use to spar. And judging by the catcalling and the wolf whistling there seems to be quite the fight going on. Well… having a look won’t do any harm, right?

So he takes another step… just to see Hernandez’s and Jacobs’s backs and hear Hernandez say, “Whoa, she’s wiping the floor with him.”

Who… oh, right. He should have known he’d find Cadman here sooner or later, seeing as the _Hammond_ arrived a couple of days ago and she’d told him she’d run out of opponents – that’s _victims_ for you, he’d thought but refrained from voicing it – on the ship and was looking forward to some new faces. And she really _is_ wiping the floor with Lance Corporal Benjamin O’Reilly, Royal Marines**.

He can’t help smirking at how Cadman just tricked O’Reilly into tripping over his own feet… but stops smirking when he hears Jacobs say, “What do you think, how would a fight between her and that Teyla Emmagan be?”

Hernandez surely wants to answer something as O’Reilly tries to push Cadman’s legs away from under her but… that’s really is enough. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he beats Hernandez to it. “Certainly too hot for you, gentlemen.” Two crew-cut heads whip around to him, colored in a quite striking shade of pink. Cadman nearly gets pulled into a choke hold by the Brit and he doesn’t show any mercy to his men either, adding, “Most of all because those two could give you a run for your money.” When they just swallow, obviously at a loss for a suitable answer that won’t get them into further trouble, he delivers his death blow, “I believe you have some reports to finish, gentlemen.”

Realizing that resistance is futile, they just nod and throw him a perfectly synchronized “Sir, yes, sir,” before hurrying away. He’s pretty sure he saw Jacobs slap Hernandez on the back of his head before rounding the bend.

Well then… let’s see who else is making googly eyes at a fellow and in most also an _outranking_ soldier, he thinks when he takes another step into the room… and finds himself standing next to Ronon.

They nod at each other and he focuses his attention on Cadman and O’Reilly again. Currently, they’re circling each other and he can get the first good look at Cadman since he entered the room.

Owing to the fight that seems to have been going for on a while, her cheeks are reddened and the usual neat tightly braided hair is in disarray with a couple of strands having escaped the braid and clinging to her face and her neck. Not exactly a pretty moment for Cadman but somehow the animated sparkle in her eyes makes up for the disheveled look.

Even after a couple of minutes she’s still holding her own. He can see her struggling with O’Reilly’s greater physical strength but it’s amazing how she manages to balance the fight out by saving her strength and letting O’Reilly do most of the moving. However, if he remembers it correctly, from a couple of sessions with her on the _Hammond_ , she only tends to do that when she’s got a few fights behind her.

He frowns. Without turning towards him, he asks Ronon, “How long has she been at it?”

Without hesitation the big guy answers in his usual rumble, “Better part of an hour.” Whoa, she must have been _really_ bored on the _Hammond_.

However, he tries not to sound too surprised when he asks, “How many fights?”

“Five,” is all Ronon answers and he’s almost convinced he heard a smirk somewhere in there.

Still keeping his eyes on Cadman and O’Reilly trying to beat the crap out of each other, he continues asking Ronon, “Her score?”

“Four won, one lost,” is the immediate answer and now he’s _positive_ he just heard a smirk.

Turning towards Ronon, he asks with another frown, “Who was the one she lost to?”

Instead of an immediate answer, Ronon just grins. Well, she’s really got guts, he has to give her that. Oh, okay, he always knew she has guts. But going against Ronon in a fight voluntarily… that takes almost more guts than offering to let go when sharing a brain with McKay. Yes, he heard about that one little unofficial detail in the whole mind meld from hell thing, just don’t ask how.

He can’t help nodding appreciatively at Ronon and apparently the Satedan feels compelled to add, “She nearly got me a couple of times, though. She’s sneaky.”

At that he can’t help grinning. “That she is.”

It’s also the moment she has finally sent O’Reilly to the mat with something that might have had its roots in a uki-otoshi. For a moment, the Brit tries to get up but apparently, she knocked him around enough that he admits defeat in the end.

She offers to help him up and when he’s back on his feet, it seems she’s throwing a look at the group of other Royal Marines and some Australian SAS soldiers but somehow… there’s this itch for some physical action again and before he knows it, he offers, “How about you pick on someone _your_ size, Captain?”

Her head swivels around and after a moment of surprise, she manages to drawl, “Are you volunteering, sir?”

Okay so he knows it would be unfair to challenge her now because he’s still fresh and she must be really worn out but… she’d probably never forgive him if he chickened out now because of that. She’d _know_ he did it because this would be her seventh fight in a row and everyone else would know as well and he knows that Laura Cadman would rather lose in an honest fight than have someone take pity on her. So there’s really only one option left. “What does it look like to you?”

Her only reply is a grin that looks _almost_ feral and taking up her battle stance again. He walks up to her and does the same, taking a moment to tune out the renewed whistling and cheering. It doesn’t _really_ work but it’s working well enough for him to go through everything he learned about her fighting style in the couple of times he had the chance to observe or fight her.

Likes to lull you into a false sense of security, wants you to underestimate her, likes quick and dirty attacks… but isn't exactly patient once the fight started. Varying between tempi isn't her forte because once she _really_ starts to get going at you, she likes to get into a flow of rapid exchanges, to compensate for the lack in weight and height.

So he decides to play her, like she usually plays her opponents. He’s not sure how far that will get him but it’s worth a try. He keeps taking jabs at her; short strikes that get aborted shortly before hitting home, little stabs at her defenses to find out where the previous fights weakened them… and finding out that she slightly favors her right leg over her left one. The superior in him feels the strong urge to send her to the infirmary to have that looked at but the fighter in him finally found the hole in her defenses he’d been looking for.

Taunting her one last time, he quickly launches towards her with his hand, pretending to go for her throat but cutting it short a couple of inches before he could do some actual damage to her. However, she still slightly leans back and that’s when he strikes. Taking a step forward, he grabs her by her right shoulder and pushes her left one away from him with his shoulder. At the same time, he uses his left leg to swipe her weakened leg away from under her with swing. All in all, a pretty neatly executed and almost perfect o-soto-gari.

He’s got her on her back now and because she doesn’t show signs of yielding – would have surprised him if she did – he quickly straddles her and puts his lower arm against her throat. He’s about to grin at her and ask if she’s giving up yet but suddenly he feels something connect with his chin and pain is shooting through his head.

Holy _shit_ , what the hell… “Rule Number One: always secure your opponent’s hands. Sir,” he hears Cadman say and shakes his head to clear it of the haze caused by what he thinks was the heel of her hand making forceful contact with his chin.

And on top of that she also managed to use his temporary mental absence to get away from him and try to get up again. Well, only if he can’t prevent it and he didn’t plan on _that_. So he tries to use her scrambling up and jumps up to launch at her, saying, “Rule Number Two: always get out of range _before_ you start wise…” and that’s how far he gets because she dropped to the ground _way_ faster than he would have given her credit for and somehow got him off his feet again.

Lying on his back he starts to get pissed at himself again – that’s not the first time Cadman used that trick by turning on her side and knocking him off his legs with hers on him – because that slip of a Captain managed to screw him over _twice_ in the last couple of minutes.

And of course she doesn’t waste time and he finds himself struggling against a surprisingly tight kesa katame. Very obviously, Cadman also had her share of judo lessons at some point in her life. For a woman of her size and stature, she really has quite the grip on his neck and arm and she even has the guts to ask between clenched teeth, “Do you yield, sir?”

Yeah, as _if_. He just needs to wiggle a little and reach one of her legs… “Don’t… make me laugh,” he growls and tries to get a hold of her waist. This used to be easier when fighting against people actually wearing a gi but… he can make do. And after another moment of struggling he catches one of her legs and even manages to throw his free left arm around her waist.

Hoisting her up, he rolls over and even though she does her best to get away – did he just hear a protesting squeal from her? – he has her on her back again, this time straddling her and pinning her arms on either side of her head.

“Do _you_ yield, Captain?” he can’t help asking between panting breaths and grinning at her. He also half registers that the room went quiet but his main attention is focused on the woman beneath him.

Like he kind of expected her to, she doesn’t outright agree. But she doesn’t negate it either, instead saying, “Let’s… call it a draw.”

He raises an eyebrow. “ _Excuse_ me?”

“Well,” she replies and takes a deep breath, her chest heaving as she obviously tries to get her own panting back under control, “I could pull a hand free… like this…” she does pull her hand free and he’s too interested in what’s coming now to keep her from doing it, “then I could shove away your knee like this,” what… oh, “and I could have _you_ on _your_ back like _this_.”

And suddenly she really has and is grinning at him from ear to ear when she adds, “And where would we be then, sir?”

He can’t believe… he just fell for that. She’s red-faced, exhausted, probably sporting dozens of bruises and she _still_ managed to teach him a lesson. But in spite of being pissed at himself again, he feels laughter at the absurdity of the situation welling up and barely able to contain it, he concedes, “Alright, a draw it is. But I _will_ get back at you for that.”

Still grinning, she gets off of him. “Wouldn’t expect differently, sir.” Then she tries to get up like he just did but her left leg must have been hit worse than he initially thought and now that the adrenaline is starting to wear off… He holds out his hand for her.

For a moment he can see her hesitating but then she takes it and lets him pull her upwards. He briefly catches Ronon’s eye and there’s a lot of appreciation in his look, probably for both of them. He’s not quite sure if he’ll ever tell Cadman of Ronon’s appreciation – gotta keep those Marine egos from overinflating, after all – but he does tell her, “Don’t know if I told you yet but… good to have you back, Captain.”

She hesitates again, seeming to search his face for any hints of… what? Sarcasm? Oh well, after a moment, she seems to have realized that he really means it, she smiles at him. “Don’t know if I told _you_ yet… it’s good to _be_ back, sir.”

There’s another moment of silence until someone starts clapping and suddenly the rest joins in and when she starts grinning again, he’s tempted to thank her for being able to give them something else to worry about than McKay having been taken and the implications of that which could very well mean a lot of dead soldiers in the future.

What he does do, in the end, is telling his men not to play too rough with each other – and pointedly ignoring each and every called in innuendo and wisecrack following that – and following Cadman who’d used the distraction to slip out of the room. She didn’t really think he’d miss the limping, did she?

So he follows her and when he reaches her, he puts her right arm around his shoulders and his left one around her waist without preamble. When she starts protesting, he simply says, “I don’t think Dr. Keller will like it very much but I do think someone needs to have a look at that leg. After all… what’s to become of us if we lose our unarmed combat champion?”

She glares at him for a moment. Then, “Fine. But I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” With that, she pulls free of his grip and starts walking again. After a few steps that he’d just stood there and wondered if he should pull rank at her after all, she turns around and says quite impatiently, “Are you coming or not, sir?”

What… oh. She doesn’t mind being accompanied by him, she just doesn’t want to be seen needing his – or really anyone’s – support in public. Oh, okay… he can work with that. After having caught up with her and falling into step beside her, he can’t help saying, “Though next time… you might want to sound a little less insubordinate. Wouldn’t want to have to report you to Colonel Carter.”

There’s a moment of looking… terrified? Is that the right word? Was _Cadman_ just terrified at the thought of him reporting her to Colonel Carter, even though he thought it was pretty clear that it was meant as a joke? But anyway, there’s none of that a moment later when she turns around and says, “No, we wouldn’t. Because I’m not sure you could handle the echo. Sir.”

What the… he’s close to pulling out the superior at that but is stopped by the hearty laughter that follows her remark and makes him forget about whatever he’d been about to say. And then he just keeps on bantering with her on the way to the infirmary and God, is he glad that there’s someone able to make his brooding stop for a while and… maybe he’ll even tell her that some day… but for now, he’ll just enjoy being around her for as long as he can before some new major or minor incident calls for his attention. Yeah, sounds very much like a plan.

*No, of course it’s _not_ called Elmendork AFB. That’s just how Elmendorf AFB is called on [Air Force Blues](http://www.afblues.com/wordpress/) but I had a feeling Evan would agree.

**Yes, **pingulotta** , a lobster :D


	3. Feel the Bomb Drop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura Cadman gets to blow up something big.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tag to Jo Graham's and Amy Grisworld's _The Lost_ I had had on the burner for at least two years before I decided to type it up after all (I had the entire story written in a notebook and had to type it up, which I usually don't do since my handwriting is beyond unintelligible and it's just really a pain in the ass typing anything up) and here it is (mostly because after finishing Unascended, I rediscovered that I still have notes for at least two more tags to the Legacy books and wanted to keep it in order). Mostly, it was inspired by the Atlantis engineers blowing up icebergs that were threatening to damage Atlantis (where there are explosives, there is Laura Cadman. It is known) and a special underwater encounter Jo and Amy gave Lorne. So, anyway, here it is.

  
** Feel the Bomb Drop **

_“I wanna feel the car crash  
I wanna feel the capsize  
I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop  
‘Til I’m satisfied  
I wanna feel the car crash  
‘Cause I'm dyin’ on the inside  
I wanna let go and know  
That I’ll be alright, alright.”_

_Matt Nathanson, “Car Crash”_   


  
Well, that’s certainly something new. Blowing up icebergs, that is. She has blown up a couple of other… interesting things before but icebergs are really something special.  
  
Not only are they pretty big – at least those they’re supposed to blow up – but their structure is pretty unique and ice is just something completely different from concrete or wood. In short, she had a minor boomgasm at the thought of doing that, followed by a major – private – freak out at actually being handed the chance to do so, since the _Hammond_ would be staying longer than expected in Atlantis and Carter thought the city might benefit from her expertise in blowing shit up.  
  
So she’s standing out here in the freezing cold, hunched over her notes and checking and double-checking her calculations. Not that she doesn’t trust her abilities but with this assignment, she suddenly feels the need to make sure _nothing_ goes wrong, and she knows how much _can_ go wrong with explosives, and Colonel Carter made it clear to her that she expects everything to run smoothly and… “We’ll have to use a blowtorch to unfreeze your feet from the ice if you keep standing there any longer.”  
  
What the… oh, right. Major Lorne, their designated jumper pilot today. Bundled up in cold weather gear like her and the rest of the demolitions team – she refuses to call her team the Blow Jobs, like the rest of the Atlantis population and the _Hammond_ ’s crew are not so secretly doing – she can only see his eyes. The rest of his face is prudently covered by a hood, a scarf and basically everything you can and should cover your face with when temperatures are way below freezing.  
  
She just shakes her head and returns her attention to the little notebook she used instead of a tablet. She’d done her initial calculations on a tablet PC but those are worth shit out here. So it was back to good old pen and paper and that’s why she’s so… apprehensive about it. Well, part of it, anyway.  
  
“Captain, I mean it,” Lorne’s voice floats over to her and yes, she deliberately chooses to ignore the urging undertone.  
  
That is until he is, judging by the sound of his voice, standing right next to her and considerably closer to being pissed at her than a moment ago. “Okay, that’s it. Are you done now or not? Because I don’t know about you but _my_ quota of ass freezing is filled. For the rest of the month.”  
  
Okay, _maybe_ she should say something, after all. Glancing up from her notes, she says, “Look, I’m sorry. I’m not keen on staying here any longer than necessary, either, sir, but it’s just…” he narrows his eyes but she’s determined to say her piece, “Something’s off here and… I just… I really don’t want to…” mess it up because my CO is Samantha “Blew Up A Fucking Sun Once” Carter and I don’t know if I’m good enough to serve under her command, she nearly adds but can’t, for various reasons.  
  
However, it almost seems like she doesn’t have to because it looks like his eyes soften a little and after what could have been a little sigh, he says, “What do you want to do, Captain?”  
  
Well, “I think… I need to check on one, maybe two of the charges again. I checked the calculations again and at least one of them needs to be removed or the whole thing could go down the drain.”  
  
“Alright,” he says after a moment of consideration, “I’ll come with you.”  
  
Uh, how about _no_? “I appreciate that, sir, but I think I can…”  
  
“Captain, there’s no way I’m going to let any of my soldiers wander around on an iceberg without backup.” The first thing she wants to say is that hey, newsflash, she’s not one of his soldiers but then realizes that while that might be true, it’s also completely beside the point.  
  
So what she does say is, “I’ll be fine. Just a moment and then I’ll…”  
  
“Request denied,” he cuts her off and even though she can only see his eyes, she can see very well that he’s not exactly happy with the situation. Yeah, well, welcome to the club. “Look, Laura, I’m not doing this because I don’t trust you to do it right. I’m just doing my _job_. Would you let any of your Marines just wander off alone?”  
  
She’s silenced for a moment; not necessarily by the question but because of the use of her first name but really, that’s ridiculous. So she swallows and says, “No, sir.”  
  
The expression in his eyes says, “Thought so,” and he asks her to lead the way. She does, so they scramble across the iceberg’s surface, towards one of the charges they planted close to its center.  
  
The rugged and at times slippery surface of the iceberg makes climbing around quite the adventure and when they reach the charge that’s supposed to split the iceberg in half, she does have some difficulties to keep from panting.  
  
“Please remind me,” he says and she can actually hear him taking a deep breath before continuing, “to keep from offering to accompany you anywhere again.”  
  
She can’t grinning and she’s pretty sure that he can see it despite the scarf covering half her face. “Don’t tell me you’re too old for this, sir.”  
  
“Just wait until we’re back in Atlantis. I’ll give you “too old for this”,” is his only reply and… the groundwork’s just too good to be wasted.  
  
“Ah, promises, promises…” she says and deliberately does _not_ look at him but crouches down to have a look at the charge.  
  
At first glance, the thing looks perfectly alright. Remote detonator is placed correctly, it’s wired just like she’d told the team to, the mass seems to be right… But something feels… off. Damn, if she’d just had a tabled and a map and GPS…  
  
“So what’s the matter?” A little startled, she realizes he crouched down next to her and hearing his voice so close threw her off for a moment.  
  
Trying to keep the annoyance at letting him catch her off-guard, she makes an effort to concentrate on being professional. “I think it needs to be moved but I don’t want to risk it without knowing our _exact_ position.”  
  
“And that’s nearly impossible here, I know,” he replies and runs a gloved hand over his face. “I could ask the guys in the jumper,” yeah, he could do that but they both know that the cold fucks with the jumpers’ sensors, too and Atlantis’s sensor array is still not all good to go so that doesn’t give them any reliable data, either, “but I think you’ll have to do this one by your guts.”  
  
No. Way. She glares at him. “Most certainly not, _sir_. This is science, not voodoo and if I mess it up, I could get Atlantis in pretty deep shit and…”  
  
“I _know_ that, Laura. Believe me, I do.” Oh yeah, she wants to ask, do you? “But you’ll have to trust your instincts here. Don’t tell me you’re too old for this.” He even dares to _smirk_ at her.  
  
“That was unnecessary,” she growls and he just doesn’t stop smirking.  
  
“Well, _are_ you, Captain?” Why, exactly, did she agree to let him come with her, again?  
  
Oh, right, because it was an order. And anyway, her asked her something. She sighs. “No, of course not. It’s just…”  
  
He shakes his head. “You won’t mess it up. Colonel Carter doesn’t place her faith in just anyone. She actually recommended _you_ specifically for this,” he says and even though it’s supposed to be encouraging, the only thing she can think is that well, that’s kind of part of the problem.  
  
But it certainly wouldn’t do to tell him that so she just mutters, half hoping he won’t hear it, “Yes, Obi-Wan. I will use the Force.”  
  
There’s no answer from him, so he probably was wise enough not to comment on it, if he did hear it. Well, all the better. She starts to dig the charge out, and even though she should have expected it, it does surprise her that Lorne moves to help her without making a fuss. After too many minutes of cussing and freezing off their hands, they get the package free. Now, she thinks, for the hard part. Trusting her instincts, alright.  
  
Trying to push everything non-essential – her insecurities, his presence, the waiting jumper crew – out of her mind, she thinks everything through one last time and slowly surveys her surroundings. Then, after a couple more minutes, her gaze stops at a little ridge, some feet north of the original spot of the charge. She looks at him again. “Over there.”  
  
His eyes light up in a grin again. “Well down, young padawan.”  
  
 _Shit_ , she thinks and tries not to look too sheepish at the fact that yes, he must have heard her muttering after all. Instead of commenting, she walks over to the designated spot, pulls the laser drill gear they found in the treasure troves of Atlantis a couple of years ago from her back and burns a neat hole into the ice, of exactly the right length, width and depth she needs. Yes, she’s been plotting for an innocuous way for it to suddenly appear in her quarters on board the _Hammond_ and deciding to stay, why are you even asking?  
  
Wordlessly, Lorne hands her the package and with great care, she lowers it down into the hole after checking the remote detonator one last time. Then she meticulously fills the hole with lose ice and snow.  
  
Then she straightens up and looks at him, trying to appear way more confident than she feels. He raises an eyebrow. “Done, Captain?”  
  
“Done, sir.” Did she just hear him mutter “About damn time”? Again, she chooses to ignore it and instead turns to leave the scene.  
  
For a couple of steps they walk in something that could almost be called companionable silence, until Lorne suddenly says, “About that second charge… please don’t tell me it’s one of the underwater charges.”  
  
Oh, right, the second charge. She does a few calculations in her head and… they should be good now. She shakes her head. “Don’t worry, we won’t have to move that one.” And, okay, she knows she very much should keep her big trap shut but… again, the groundwork is just way too tempting. “Also, sir, don’t tell me you’re afraid of your new friend, the Giant Squid.”  
  
The way he just looked at her tells her very clearly he did not expect her to know about his little diving adventure a couple of days ago. What, did he really think he’s the only inhabitant of Atlantis she’s talking to?  
  
And apparently he realized his mistake now, scowling, “God, not another Harry Potter fan.”  
  
What is he… oh, right. Hogwarts Lake, Giant Squid… that was easy enough that she got it even though it’s been a while since she read anything by JK Rowling. However, she decides not to join in with the allusions. That would be too easy. So she just says, trying not to grin too much, “Just roll with it, sir. You’ll never get rid of it, anyway.”  
  
The eyes that look at her now look very much like he’d love to get even with her for that thing in  the workout room right now but in the end, he just kind of… _huffs_ and says, sounding a little as if he’s saying it more to himself than her, “Yeah, but I can still try.”  
  
She _knows_ she should just let it lie but a little devil must be riding her today because she can’t stop herself from saying, “I’d love to be introduced, by the way.”  
  
“Most certainly _not_ ,” is his immediate reply and it’s almost comical how resolute he sounds.  
  
Maybe it’s that which prompts her to cap it all off with, “Oh come on, sir. Don’t monopolize him… her… it. Anyway…”  
  
“It’s just. Not. Funny. Captain,” he growls but something in that sounds like it very much _is_ , even for him. Well, maybe the fact that the growl sounded very much like a desperate attempt at holding back with amusement.  
  
“I certainly don’t think so, either.” It’s a lie, of course, because _damn_ , this is funny. “I mean, apparently, sea food is very interested in you. That’s a very serious matter, sir.”  
  
He snorts. “That’s rich, coming from a _lobster_.”  
  
Oooh, _that’s_ a low blow. It’s her turn to growl, absolutely _not_ amused. “Only those crazy old Brits under crazy old Nelson called their Marines that.”  
  
Even though she’d been resolved not to look at him again until they reach the jumper, she can’t help sneaking him a look and catches him looking questioningly and maybe even a little surprised – she can’t really tell, with most of his face obscured by fabric – at her. Involuntarily, she rolls her eyes. “What, sir? A small part of my brain _is_ there for memorizing non-explosives related stuff.”  
  
Either his skin suddenly overreacted to the cold or Major Evan Lorne, kick-ass Atlantis military contingent executive officer, just _blushed_. “Oh, I wasn’t… I mean, I… erm, always knew that, of course.”  
  
Of course. Mh, mh. She’s not _really_ convinced but decides to let it go. He _is_ her superior, after all. “Yeah,” she only grumbles and adds, “And who told you about that lobster thing, anyway?”  
  
There are little lines in the corners of his eyes, making it pretty possible that he’s grinning. “Lance Corporal O’Reilly.”  
  
Yeah, she should have known that. An inarticulate sound of disapproval escapes her, together with a muttered, “Cheese eating surrender monkeys.”  
  
There might or might not have been a faint snort from him. But it could also have been the crunching ice under their boots. Anyway, what he actually replies, is, “Weren’t that the _French_?”  
  
Oh, _now_ he tries to come to her with facts? No one needs facts, facts are overrated. And anyway, it’s too cold to argue, so she just grumbles, “Oh, you know what I mean.”  
  
For a couple of steps – at least they can finally see the jumper now – there’s silence, then she hears him say, “Laura?” with a kind of amused undertone to it but she could be imagining that.  
  
“What?” she asks, trying to sound not too petulant.  
  
“Go easy on O’Reilly next time you two decide to beat the crap out of each other, huh?” How does he _do_ that? Is he psychic, after all, just like the rumors always said?  
  
She’s about to deny any intentions she had in regard to beating up O’Reilly when they have finally reached the jumper the rest of the team – two civilian technicians, three Marines and another three diving certified combat engineers – had been waiting in. So instead of wasting time with bullshitting around, they both enter the jumper.  
  
Inside the jumper, warmth hits her like a wall and they’re quick to get rid of the parka and the scarf and basically every other item of cold weather gear while Lorne has one of the Marines lifting the jumper up. When they’re away far enough from the iceberg, she’s about to reach for the remote detonator in one of their boxes but Lorne is faster than her and hands it to her with the words, “Alright, Captain, show us your masterpiece.”  
  
Did he really _have_ to say that? Seriously, no pressure, huh. Without a word but with a pretty deadly glare, she takes the remote from his hand and just says, “With pleasure, sir,” trying to make it sound casual.  
  
Then she murmurs the obligatory, “Fire in the hole,” and pushes the button. Immediately, they can hear a faint rumble and then the iceberg below them splits up into several smaller pieces. With something akin to anxiety, she watches them drift apart, noticing at least three pieces veering slightly off their projected courses and she nearly curses out loud. She really should have taken the tide in account. Well, okay, she did, but she could have done that _better_ and…  
  
“That was… impressive.” Huh, what? Did Evan Lorne just call her work _impressive_?  
  
Okay, yeah, he did. And still she can’t help contradicting him with a muttered, “Yeah, but not perfect.” Oops. She could have at least thanked him for the compliment and that’s exactly what his face and those of the team say.  
  
Damn, that was… “There will be other icebergs to blow up, Captain,” Lorne says after a moment of silence and she could have sworn that there was that amused undertone again.  
  
She frowns. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing, sir.”  
  
That gets her eye rolling and, “I’ll remind you of that next time you get all bouncy at the thought of detonating really big pieces of ice.”  
  
What… how… there’s _no_ way he could have seen her little happy dance in her rather confined quarters onboard the _Hammond_. And did Arriva, one of the technicians, just _snort_? That guy has guts, she has to give him that. It won’t save him from being one of the divers next time they blow up an iceberg, though.  
  
She also considers reminding the very obviously grinning Sergeant Vandenberg of the fact that he still owes her results from the shooting range but in the end, she decides to humor Lorne and the team and just leaves it at another glare before surrendering to good-natured banter. She can get back at them another time and well, she can always get back at _Lorne_ in the workout room… but okay, maybe she’ll thank him for walking her through this first. Maybe. Someday. Yeah.


End file.
